Oberon's Grove

D'Angelo/Christoff in Concert ~ 1961

Soprano Gianna D'Angelo (above) and basso Boris Christoff in a concert of operatic arias from 1961. The Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma RAI is conducted by Alfredo Simonetto.

Listen here.

Ortiz & Mendelssohn ~ Los Angeles Philharmonic

Above: composer Gabriela Ortiz

~ Author: Oberon

Wednesday October 9th, 2024 - The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, offered a very interesting pairing of works for their Carnegie Hall concert this evening: the New York premiere of Gabriela Ortiz's Dzonot, featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and - following the interval - the complete incidental music that Felix Mendelssohn composed for Shakespeare's MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

Above: Alisa Weilerstein, photo by Evelyn Freja

Ms. Weilerstein, whose stunning performance of Tan Dun's 1991 Elegy: Snow in June at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in May of 2024 was one of the great musical experiences of my life, opened the concert with the Ortiz Dzonot; I am always excited to have any opportunity to hear Ms. Dinerstein play. Tonight - yet again - she was spectacular.

"Dzonot" means abyss in the Mayan language'; the Spanish refer to it as "cenote". For a detailed program note, go here. 

The piece gets off to a sparkling start, the celesta creating a magical effect as the cello seeming to whine. The strings support dreamy cello themes; the horn sounds, heralding a mini-cadenza from Ms. Dinerstein. The orchestra gets restless, with piping piccolo and various bell tones as the strings continue to pulse. From deep cello notes, a new rhythm develops; Ms. Dinerstein begins tapping the cello's strings with her bow. A xylophone passage summons all the strings to join in the tapping. The brass and winds get jazzy, and Ms. Dinerstein reels off some super-fast phrases. The celesta's filigree sounds, and the cello sings on high. A cymbal crash prompts the strings to start tapping again.

A movement entitled "The eye of the jaguar" begins with haunting cello, celesta, and the summoning gong. The cello ascends as the music begins to sway gently. Magical textures weave in the sounds of flutes and bells. Rapid harp arpeggios and trills increase in speed; the music is both animated and passionate. A fresh rhythm gains momentum as swirls of notes from the flutes evoke anxious birds reeling overhead. Sounds, seemingly from an alternate universe, captivate us...it's luminous, other-worldly music indeed. A gong settles the silence.

Then the fluttering flutes and the buzzy, insectuous sounds of the reeds are answered by harsh brass accents and a beating drum. Dreamy melismas set off the cello's restless wanderings, which get increasingly large-scaled...the timpani heralds a cello cadenza; an agitato atmosphere finds the cellist playing a mile a minute. There is a huge crescendo and then a sudden silence...from which the sound of the cello ascends to the heavens and vanishes into thin air.

Great fun to join in the audience's warm acclaim for composer, cellist, maestro, and musicians.

The Mendelssohn Dream, some of the most delightful music he ever composed, is thrice familiar to dance lovers here in Gotham, thanks to its staging as a ballet by the inimitable George Balanchine; New York City Ballet will be offering their ever-popular production this May at Lincoln Center.

And how many newly-married brides have walked up the aisle to the joyous recessional march?

Mendelssohn had written only about an hour’s worth of music for the play, not enough for an evening-length dance work, so Balanchine added the following works by the composer so as to tell the full story: the overture to Athalie, Opus 74; the overture to The Fair Melusine, Opus 32; excerpts from The First Walpurgis Night, Opus 60; Symphony No. 9 for Strings; and the overture to Son and Stranger, Opus 89.

Tonight, we heard just the original overture and the 13 pieces written for the play; the overture was written when the composer was a 17-year-old, and the incidental music 17 years later - one of his last enduring works composed in the years leading up to Mendelssohn’s tragic death from a pair of strokes in 1847. Over time, at least one part of the score has become very widely known: how many newly-married brides have walked up the aisle to the joyous recessional march?

Maestro Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic were joined by María Valverde, narrator, and vocal soloists Jana McIntyre (soprano) and Deepa Johnny (mezzo-soprano), with the choral parts taken by Musica Sacra under the direction of Kent Tritle.

The size and richness of the orchestral sound gave the music an feeling of grandeur that an orchestra playing in the pit at the ballet could never summon. Tonight, the music sounded epic...even overwhelming. The orchestra played well despite fleeting vagaries of intonation. The vocal soloists, positioned behind the orchestra, did not always come across clearly. The chorus sang with delightful clarity. Ms. Valvede has the grace of a ballerina; her expressive arms and hands complimented her narration, in Spanish, which was translated in projected super-titles whilst charming projections depicted scenes from the story, including a procession of fairies wending up a mountain path that reminded me of Lothlorien.

The overall effect of the Mendelssohn was more than pleasing, but in a way it seemed an odd match for the Ortiz piece that had opened the evening so effectively. 

~ Oberon

Dominic Cossa Has Passed Away

One of my all-time favorite singers, the American baritone Dominic Cossa, has passed away at the age of 89. He had a beautiful, lyrical voice, and a natural stage presence.

Dominic studied with Robert Weede and Armen Boyajian, and made his New York City Opera debut in 1961. He sang with that Company for several seasons, and in 1970 he debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Silvio in PAGLIACCI. He would shuttle between the two theatres, singing roles that included Puccini's Sharpless and Marcello, Rossini's Figaro, Valentin in FAUST, Masetto in DON GIOVANNI, Germont in TRAVIATA, Zurga in PECHEURS DE PERLES, Albert in WERTHER, and Mercutio in ROMEO ET JUILIETTE.

In 1966, Dominic sang Achille in GIULIO CESARE at the New York City Opera in the production that brought international fame to Beverly Sills. He sang Enrico to Beverly's Lucia in a production of the Donizetti opera that included the rarely-staged Wolfscrag Scene, sung here by Dominic and tenor Michele Molese.

At Carnegie Hall, Dominic sang de Nevers in Meyerbeer's HUGUENOTS with Beverly as Marguerite de Valois. He sings Belcore on the Decca recording of ELISIR D'AMORE with Dame Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti.

Among the many performances of Dominic's at NYCO, this BOHEME was especially moving:

In 1972, Dominic sang Chorebe in Berlioz's LES TROYENS opposite the Cassandra of Clarice Carson in a concert performance at Carnegie Hall.

Clarice Carson & Dominic Cossa - PRISE DE TROIE ~ scene - NYC 1972

Here is Dominic as Sharpless in a scene from Act III of MADAMA BUTTERFLY, with Kay Creed and Enrico di Giuseppe:

BUTTERFLY ~ Act III scene - Enrico di Giuseppe - Kay Creed - Dominic Cossa - NYCO 1969

Of the countless Dominic Cossa performances I witnessed over the years, one stands out in particular. Dominic was singing Sid in Britten's ALBERT HERRING at the New York City' Gary Glaze had the title-role, and the beauteous Kay Creed was Sid's girl-friend Nancy.

At the end, there was a long ovation - the opera was new to many people (myself included) and the performance had been especially lovely. I was at the orchestra railing, yelling as each singer took a solo bow. Then they all came out together. Dominic scanned the fans lining the edge of the pit, and then he suddenly whisked Albert's signature straw boater off the head of tenor Gary Glaze. Pointing at me, Dominic sent the hat flying like a Frisbee. I was sure I would bungle it and that everyone would laugh at me, but miraculously I plucked it out of the air. What a nice souvenir of the performance, I thought! But, no...the singers signaled me to send the hat back to them. I sent it floating over the pit while everyone applauded. 

And here is a scene from ARIADNE AUF NAXOS sung in English at the New York City Opera in 1974 by Dominic Cossa with Patricia Wise as Zerbinetta and the adorable Barbara Hocher as Echo. It was these three, and their colleagues, who helped make ARIADNE my favorite opera...which it remains to this day.

Dominic Cossa as Harlekin ~ Ariadne auf Naxos - with Patricia Wise & Barbara Hocher - NYCO 1974

Rest peacefully, dear Dominic...your voice is always with me.

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA ~ During the Pandemic

Above: the inimitable Elena Zilio

A concert performance of Mascagni's CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA from Naples, filmed at the time of the pandemic in 2020.

Watch and listen here.

Conductor: Juraj Valčuha

Santuzza ~ Elīna Garanča; Turiddu ~ Jonas Kaufmann; Alfio ~ Claudio Sgura;  Mamma Lucia ~ Elena Zilio; Lola ~ Maria Agresta

Jard van Nes ~ Alto Rhapsody

Jard van Nes sings Johannes Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt.

Listen here.